


The Way It's Meant to Be

by addict_with_a_pen



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Iron Dad, Secret Santa, ironfam, soft
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-22
Updated: 2019-12-22
Packaged: 2021-02-25 23:33:47
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,230
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21893704
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/addict_with_a_pen/pseuds/addict_with_a_pen
Summary: A soft Irondad fic. Endgame AU where everyone made it, and the Ironkids live in the Starks' cabin.
Comments: 4
Kudos: 19
Collections: Iron Dad Secret Santa 2019





	The Way It's Meant to Be

**Author's Note:**

  * For [irond0rkness](https://archiveofourown.org/users/irond0rkness/gifts).



> For the lovely @solarstark on tumblr!!!!! Merry Christmas/Happy Holidays!!! Hope you like it!!!

It was a peaceful December night. The fire crackled merrily in its hearth, casting dancing shadows across the cozy log cabin’s wall and filling the place with a comforting warmth. It was perfect.

Tony was reclining in an armchair with a _Popular Science_ magazine, reading an article on the latest scientific breakthroughs with a mug of hot cocoa in his hand. Peter sat nearby at a table, working on some chem homework he’d been assigned over break. Morgan and Harley were in the kitchen assisting Pepper with baking Christmas cookies.

“Hey, Mr Stark, what’s the symbol for gold again?”

Tony peered over the top of his magazine at Peter, eyes glinting in the firelight. “You’re kidding me, right?”

Peter said nothing.

Tony returned his attention to his article. “It’s ‘Au,’ kid. You ought to have that periodic table memorized by now.”

“Thanks, Mr Stark.” Peter scribbled out the formula he needed, then set about balancing it as his textbook indicated.

“What’re you working on?” Tony closed the magazine and walked over to the table where Peter’s school things were spread out in an unholy mess of various chemistry, algebra, and literature materials.

“Oh, just chemistry. Balancing equations, it’s not too bad,” Peter answered, gesturing the formulas on his notebook. The margins were littered with scrapwork and simple math calculations, necessary for working out the proper coefficients for creating a balanced equation. He blinked as Tony glanced over his problems.

“Check number six, try recounting your oxygen atoms.”

“Thanks, Mr Stark,” Peter said mechanically. He looked at the page blankly, trying to force his mind to return to the task at hand.

Tony turned to go back to reading his magazine, but paused. “You alright, Pete?”

Peter didn’t answer.

“Kid? Parker. _Parker_.” Tony snapped his fingers in front of the boy’s face to get his attention. Peter started, only then seeming to realize he was being spoken to, and stared wide-eyed up at Tony.

“What? Yeah, yeah, I’m alright… I’m fine, Mr Stark. Really, I’m just… tired, I guess.”

Tony gazed down at him, soft brown eyes filled with concern. “You’re sure?”

“Yeah.” Peter gave Tony his best “don’t worry about me” smile.

“Alright,” said Tony, grabbing one of the chairs around the table and dragging it over, “Well, I’m not.”

“Wha—Mr Stark, I’m fine—”

“Let’s have at it, kid. What’s up?” Tony had that stubborn note in his voice as he sat down, crossing his legs and folding his arms, making it clear he wasn’t going anywhere until Peter relented.

Peter shook his head. “It’s really nothing, Mr Stark, it’s just--I don’t know, I--”

“Spit it out, Parker.”

The teenager sighed, not meeting Tony’s eyes. He fiddled with the corner of his notebook page, folding and unfolding it until a sharp crease formed. “I just… I keep thinking about what happened with the Stones, and with Thanos. I mean, we beat him and all, and everyone made it out okay, but what if they didn’t?” His hand began trembling, and although he tried to conceal it, Tony missed nothing.

Peter looked up, and the expression on his face sent a pang through Tony’s heart. It was stricken, the boy’s hazel eyes brimming with tears that threatened to spill out.

Images of what could’ve happened during that battle flitted through Tony’s mind—Peter lying prone on the debris-strewn battlefield, gone for real this time; Pepper, the Rescue armor mangled around her, broken and limp on the ground; Cap, his shield cracked in two— _Why didn’t you do all you could?_

 _NO!_ Tony forced the memory of his vision from years ago down. They’d won—everything would be okay now.

“There’s no use in thinking like that.” He said it to himself as much as to Peter. “The fight’s over. Thanos is gone, squashed like the big ugly grape he is. Everything is alright, the universe is saved, and that’s all that matters. You follow me?”

Peter stood up abruptly, knocking his notebook to the floor. “But what if it _didn’t??_ What if the gauntlet _hadn’t_ worked, what if it’d gone wrong, what if—” He froze as a thought occurred to him. “ _What if it had been my fault_?” he whispered, his voice cracking a little. “What if I’d screwed up, what if I’d gotten you killed--” He stared at Tony with a white face painted in harsh strokes with fear.

“Peter!” Tony stood too, and grabbed the boy by the shoulders. “Listen to me! Every single thought in that brain of yours, every single image of failure, of defeat, of not being good enough, get rid of it! You are the bravest one out of all of us. Look at you, you’re barely out of your training webs--” Peter smiled weakly at that “--and you’ve fought a battle against the most powerful army in the universe. And won.

“Look Pete, it doesn’t matter what could have been in another timeline. What matters is you did your best, and we won the fight. We couldn’t have done it without you. It sounds cliché, I know, but it’s true.”

Peter didn’t answer, but looked down at the floor and seemed to pull himself together.

“Okay?”

“...Yeah. I just--”

Tony gave him a little shake. “No. No ‘I just’. It’s in the past, Peter. Look around you.” He gestured around the room, merrily lit and comfortably warm, now with a faint scent of baking cookies wafting from the kitchen. “This wouldn’t have happened if we hadn’t won. This is our reward. So don’t waste it worrying over what could have happened. Let’s just enjoy it, right?” Peter met Tony’s eyes and nodded, slowly.

“I--yeah. Okay. You’re right, Mr Stark, I’m sorry, I--”

“Oh, for crying out loud.” Tony pulled Peter into a hug to silence the apologies. “You’re a good kid, Parker.”

Peter said something muffled in response, and Tony ruffled his hair as he released him.

“That was nice,” Peter mumbled through a sheepish grin.

Just then, Pepper walked into the room with a tray of steaming cookies, trailed by Harley and Morgan.

“Those all for me?” Tony asked with a smirk, reaching for the tray.

“They’re for Santa!” declared Morgan, looking offended. Harley snickered as Tony hastily drew his hand back as if burned.

“Oh, that’s my bad,” said Tony, with an expression like that of a kicked puppy. “Sorry, kiddo.”

“You should be!” said Pepper admonishingly, an amused twinkle in her eye.

“Yeah, Mr Stark, c’mon!”

Tony turned in shock to stare at Peter’s audacity. The room fell silent as everyone waited for Iron Man’s reaction.

Peter froze in terror. “Uh… I meant--uh--um--”

“Really, Parker? After all I’ve done for you?” Tony raised his eyebrows.

“Uh…” Peter bolted out of the room, threw the front door open, and raced out into the snow.

“Oh, no you don’t!” Tony streaked after him, nearly tripping on his way out the door. He’d only made it past the front step when a snowball struck him squarely in the face. “Agh! Backup! Backup needed!!”

At his call, Morgan sprinted giggling into the snow to aid her father. Harley followed reluctantly, laughing and shaking his head.

As the children engaged in a furious snowball fight, Pepper stood in the doorway with the cookie tray, watching with a gentle smile on her face. This was the way things were meant to be.


End file.
